Court records include divorce records, probated estate records, wills, court orders and judgements, case files, bankruptcy records, cause books, bench books, registers and more.

Court records marked for permanent retention are transferred to the BC Archives at the end of their retention period when they are no longer actively used by the court registry. The retention periods and final disposition for court records is outlined in the approved records schedule for Court Services.

Prior to the 1980s, however, there were no record schedules—each court maintained its own records and independently determined their retention. Therefore court records from the 1980s and earlier are not consistent and may not be available.

To help you with your research, we’ve created guides to help you locate the specific court record(s) you are looking for.

To order copies of court records, please see Order Court Records